It has been too long since I have updated Mia's blog! Sorry, we are a very busy family with a very busy daughter! Mia keeps me running all day long. She is 16 months now and copies everything we do. She likes to help me sweep, put wet clothes in the dryer and climb on anything she can,mainly the kitchen table....but she is learning to stay off of it! She shakes her head yes and no and repeats a lot of words we say. Her doctors are very pleased with her heart function and growth. She is on the higher end of the length chart and average on the weight. Which is great! The last echo showed good heart function but they couldn't see the pulmonary branch arteries. So we will be flying to Denver in about 6 weeks for a heart cath. I am planning on going alone with Mia, leaving Daddy and the 4 big kids at home. This is a first for our family and I am nervous. I guess it must be having a sick baby, I tend to think of the what ifs and the worst case scenario. I pray I can overcome my negative thoughts and turn everything over to Christ..."taking every thought captive"

The last 2 caths have been good so I am praying this one is good too. The procedure has it's risks and because we spent so much time at the hospital I know too many babies that have not had a good outcome:(

So prayer warriors! Please pray for our flight and most of all the doctor and Mia's little body, that it will be strong and stable throughout the cath. Thank you! I am already anticipating the moment when the special nurses come and take her back to the cath lab...It is not easy seeing her look up into the nurses eyes, wondering where she is going....I feel the need to hug her one more time and hug the nurses and tell tell them just how special she is..It's a hard thing for a momma!

I am grateful that Mia is doing so well and we have not had any emergency trips to Denver for while. She is a joy and teaches me so much....

Blessings Abound

Mia will be turning 1 very soon! She is growing and changing so fast! She has said, Dada, Ball, Baby, Bye Bye and she says MAMAMA when she wants real FOOD! She definately said Dada first! It is for those big but small things I am thankful for! And she is coasting around all the furniture and getting into everything!
March 21st was the day she had her heart cath and she is doing well so far. The doctor put in a stint and a ballon in each of her pulmonary branch arteries. There was not much growth on the left one but it seems to be better now with the stint. Her stats are more in the 80's rather than the 70's. She is happy and keeping us smiling all day long! We are grateful for the good prognosis at this point. Her heart cath doc said he is more optomistic this time and that we might be able to get her to her third surgery at age 3 without a transplant. So glad and thankful! We also won't have to go back to Denver for 6 months or so, praise God! We feel like we lived a lifetime with Mia and it has only been a year! We are so thankful for everyone who has prayed for us and with us. We couldn't do this without God and YOU! Happy Spring!

Spring is in the air!

Today I woke up rejoicing. Another day, another chance to be all I can be for God. He has blessed us so much and we are grateful. Mia's heart cath is tentatively scheduled for March 21st and we pray everything goes well. I hope that by ballooning her arteries again she will make better progress. Her doctor called again and stressed how much they want to get her to the third surgery (Fontan) and will try anything. She is a bit of an anomaly, most of the time these arteries grow after the 2nd surgery. She continues to shock and amaze the doctors. Mia is growing and very active! She will eat anything and climb anything! In March before her cath a special doctor will check her development-milestone progress. I told her doctor what all she is doing and she said she sounds advanced for these heart babies. The theory is that all the time in the hospital would make a baby not reach some of their milestones on time....Mia is not letting anything hold her back! The doctor said they need to throw statisticsw out the window because often the babies are advanced~We know it is because of your prayers. Mia's doctor again told me it was because of all the great care we are giving her and that she is here because we are such great parents. So touching and so humbling. I can't thank her OR YOU for all the thoughts and prayers and encouragement. God Bless this season of our life!

Mia 2011

This month is going well so far for Mia. She is strong, happy and teething! At the moment she has just fallen asleep leaning on her boppy pillow. So sweet...
On Jan. 20th she will have an echo and hopefully they get better pics than last month. Then she will have a heart cath in Denver in early March. I talked to her doctor and she told me Mia is making history...It is unknown what will happen with her but we are grateful for each day and love her so much! She has made it through Christmas and already is in 2011! Praise God! Last Christmas we were praying for a CHANCE of survival and here she is!!! Thank you all for your prayers.

12\06\2010 (6 photos), by Catie Rathe

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Pray for Mia

I titled this blog pray for Mia in hopes that whoever comes across this will PRAY for our daughter. She had a heart cath on Nov. 29th. The doctor was able to balloon her right and left pulmonary branch arteries, her aortic arch, and coil off some collateral vessels. Her pulmonary arteries are very small and if they don't grow then she can't have her Fontan around age 3. The doctor said to pray that they will grow! Again I am amazed at the doctors God has blessed us with. They are like family after all we have been through. The other night I spoke with Dr. K for an hour about Mia. We discussed the probability of her arteries not growing and having too many collateral vessels and possibly a heart transplant. When she asked if Clark and I would be okay with a transplant I was swallowing a lump that wouldn't go down!!! I had asked the cath doctor in Denver if we need to prepare our children for the worst and he said not yet, let's see what the next cath shows. But he did say "we are not in a good place right now" I have heard bad news before, as you can read in my first few blogs, but everytime I knew God was ultimately the one who would choose her path. So far He has blessed us beyond what we imagined. We are thankful for each day with Mia and so glad she has been such a strong fighter.

She is 7 months now and still very sweet! She has the calmest disposition! So happy and smiles at everyone! Thank you for your prayers!!!!!